Second chances
by Paralelsky
Summary: When her son came barging through the door claiming that there was a wounded man in their backyard, Harry had rushed forward not knowing what she was going to find. Little she did know at the time that the man will change her life forever. Fem!Harry, HarryxLoki - It's complicated
1. Chapter 1

**AN: **This was not supposed to happen. Seriously, I don't know what I was thinking, but when I woke up this morning the idea gnawed on my brain until I had to write it down. I have other projects to work on, but this one just demanded to be written. So there you have it. Hopefully someone will read it and enjoy it, that's all I'm asking.

**Rating: T;**

**Pairing: Loki/Harry - It's complicated;**

**Beta: **Un-betaed. Sorry guys for all the remaining mistakes.

**Warnings: mention of blood, violence, swearing, fem!Harry. **

**Disclaimer: **All recognizable characters are property of their respective owners. Everything else is the product of my imagination. Enjoy!

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Chapter 1

The first thing she noticed when she rushed outside following her son's panic filled voice, "There's a wounded man in our backyard", was the amount of blood pooling under the slumped figure. He was lying face down, at the base of giant oak tree, the soil completely soaked. He was so still and grey, for a brief moment Harry feared she had been too late, even as she crouched down and looked for signs of life. His pulse was erratic and weak and she couldn't risk turning him around until she knew more about the wounds he had sustained, and for a brief moment panic almost settled in, echoes of another time when she had seen friends and family dying, while she was powerless to stop it.

It was then that Harry reminded herself that she wasn't a helpless schoolgirl anymore, she had gone to St. Mungo's preliminary training for nurses before leaving the Wizarding World, and that meant she could actually do something in the situation. So almost praying she wasn't doing something to aggravate the wounds, she pulled out her wand, froze the man in position and with as much urgency as possible she moved him inside her house in one of the spare bedrooms. There she let her training take over and for the following two hours she worked every spell she knew and some she improvised on the spot to stabilize him and stop the bleeding. Finally, when she could no longer think of anything that she hadn't tried, the man peacefully unconscious and the wound somewhat sealed, she spent a few moments gazing at her patient's too pale and grayish face and before she left the room, she mused to herself. "Someone out there had really wants you dead."

_Perhaps_, she later thought with chagrin, _that should have been a warning of what she was letting herself in_.

xXx

Loki woke up feeling as if he had been encased in lead. He couldn't move any of his limbs, despite feeling that he still had them. Even his eyelids felt heavy, as he struggled to get them to open, hating how vulnerable and weak the situation was making him.

"Stop struggling," a female voice interjected from his right, and before he knew it, a soft hand had grabbed his face in a strong but careful grip, while another forced his eyelids to open and then put drops of some kind of liquid in both his eyes. For a moment he panicked, the liquid stinging a little, but after a few rapid blinks he saw his vision clear and for the first time he got a glimpse of his surroundings and of his jailer. Because he was completely certain he had been captured again, and this time he vowed to himself he would escape as soon as possible.

"Here, drink this," the same voice told him while holding a glass to his lips, and for a stubborn moment Loki thought of pressing his lips shut and refusing it, until she tipped the glass just so and the water inside it smeared his lips. And it was as if the thirst he hadn't known he had suddenly sprung to life because he drank with greedy gulps.

"Easy," the woman said, while easing the glass away and Loki almost growled in frustration, raised head chasing the container.

"Don't worry, there will be more of that later," she said patting a soft cloth at his chin where the water had dribbled down, and as she worked, Loki got the first glimpse of his jailer masquerading as a nurse. Younger than he had assumed from her voice, she had a slim build clad in sensible and worn work clothes, dark hair pulled in a sideways braid and pale skin subtly tinted by, what Loki suspected, were many hours spent outdoors. She looked fragile, weak, and _human, _and not the sort of jailer anyone would have chosen for the God of Lies, no matter how weak was said god at the moment, and in wasn't until Loki looked her in the eyes that he realized the woman was so much more she appeared at first glance. She had old eyes in a young face, the color of emeralds and magic, and secrets buried deep beneath, and Loki barely suppressed a shiver at the challenge hidden in them.

She was a puzzle, Loki knew, and unfortunately for her, he had never been good at leaving puzzles alone. But first thing first, "Woman, what have you done to me?" he rasped, words almost hurting when they got out.

"I saved you life," she replied easily, while expertly mixing several colored mixtures into a tall glass. "Here, drink this as well," and when he glared at her, she sighed, "Look, if I wanted you dead, I would have just left you where I found you with your guts hanging out." And then she shoved the glass against his lips until he had no option but to drink it or have its contents pour down his face. The potion tasted sour, with herbal undertones and mineral grittiness, but it was its undeniably magic nature that got him to rethink things through. He drank it all, showing he was behaving, only because he had realized that at the moment she was the one having the power. _But he would remember this_, Loki vowed eyes narrowing to slits when she turned her back to place the empty glass on the bedside table.

"If that's so, would you at least tell me the name of my savior?" Loki asked, putting such emphasis on the last word until 'savior' sounded like something ugly coming from him. If it affected her, she made no move to show it, but she was also silent for a long moment.

"Harry," she conceded at long last, "the name is Harry. And you should probably go to sleep now." And with that she went outside the room, closing the door gently behind her.

Loki filled the information in the back of his mind even as sleep began to pull him under. "Harry," he muttered under his breath, as if tasting each syllable. _A deceivingly unassuming name_, he thought while his eyes swept over his surroundings before he closed them, _just like the seemly ordinary room where he was being kept_. But he knew better, because even in his weakened state he could tell there were wards humming all over the place.

**TBC.**

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**AN: **With NaNoWriMo almost over I'm trying to treat this story as a daily, or almost daily project. So expect not-too-long updates every other day, although they may not be the best quality I have to offer because for all my slower projects I have been known to write various versions of the same chapter and then scrap them all because none were up to my standard. So I'm trying a new approach with this that hopefully won't be a total disaster. Cheers! - _Paralelsky_


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: **I was kind of blown away by the favorable response this story has gathered in only 24 hours since posting the first chapter. As promised I have posted the next one, hopefully to the standard of my usual style. A big **THANK YOU! **to all of you who reviewed, favorited and decided to follow this story and me. You are **GREAT! :)**

**Rating: T;**

**Pairing: Loki/Harry - It's complicated;**

**Beta: **Un-betaed. Sorry guys for all the remaining mistakes.

**Warnings: mention of blood, violence, swearing, fem!Harry.**

**Disclaimer: **All recognizable characters are property of their respective owners. Everything else is the product of my imagination. Enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter 2**

The second time Loki opened his eyes, he felt much more awake. He still couldn't move a muscle below his neck, but the dull, throbbing pain radiating from his chest all the way to his limbs told him that largely his body was still in one piece. Quietly he analyzed his cell: cream colored walls, dainty drapes partially covering a window on his right, which had under it a desk covered with bottles of what he supposed were medicines, at least based on their smell. Opposite his bed there was a big dresser and on his left the door. On the surface a quaint place, but underneath it all, it was where the room showed its true colors. When he closed his eyes and concentrated he could actually see them: wards all over the place, soaking through the walls and the furniture until to his mind's eye they shone almost painfully.

_Not so ordinary after all_, he thought, only to be pulled back to the common world when the sound of shuffling feet near him told him he had a visitor. He could hear someone moving in the room, the swishing of fabric as they came nearer; until he could tell they were right beside him.

Slowly, and with great care, Loki opened his eyes for just a little and turned to where he knew his visitor was waiting. The first sight was a blur of browns and whites and Loki had to blink twice for the image to settle into a mop of brown hair, round face, golden brown eyes and an ear splitting grin.

"Hi! You're awake!" the child exclaimed, but mercifully he didn't speak too loudly. "I'll go and tell mom." And he almost run out of the room when Loki called softly after him, "Wait," then winced when he realized how pathetic his voice had sounded, but the boy skidded to a halt.

"Yes?" the child answered head cocking to the side.

"I would like some water,…please," Loki barely remembered to add the last part, when the boy came rapidly around his bed and stopped near the desk. There, with a look of deep concentration on his face, he took a jug sitting on the desk and with only a few sloshing sounds he poured some water into a glass. When he had the glass half full he almost dropped the jug on the desk, wincing a little when the pottery moved a little, but thankfully didn't dip, and then he stopped short. Because Loki had his arms under the blanket, there was no way he could drink on his own, and the child realized that but seemed reluctant to continue. Resigned, he held the glass to Loki's lips with exaggerated care, and when the patient had drank, the boy put it on the table with almost visible relief.

The antics of his visitor almost brought a smile on Loki's lips, but he quickly smothered it. For all he knew, he was in enemy hands - even if that theory got feebler by the minute - but he couldn't discard it just yet. Thinking about that he continued with what he had had in mind the first time he had realized he was no longer alone: fishing for information. "What's your name?" Loki asked, keeping his tone mild.

"Teddy," the boy answered readily, "what's yours?"

"Loki," the god answered calmly, watching for the reaction.

True, his botched invasion of Midgard had been a year ago, and the boy was still young, but Loki was positive he must have made some kind of impression.

"Like the Norse God of Lies and Mischief? Cool!" the boy beamed.

Alright, maybe that wasn't the reaction he had been expected. "Exactly like him," Loki answered mildly. "Say, Teddy, could you help me with something?"

"Sure."

"Can you lower the blanket and help me get out my hand? You see, I have this terrible itch on my nose." Loki made sure he looked suitably contrite, even if his nose did actually start to itch.

"Eh," for the first time Teddy looked uneasy. "I don't think I'm supposed to do that. Mama told me not to disturb you." He was watching the door, fidgeting a little, and Loki knew he had to act quickly or lose him."Please," he made sure he sounded extra pathetic, "what harm would that do?"

"More than you'd think," a new voice interrupted and Loki cursed in his head when he saw the boy's ears turn red.

"Mama, I didn't disturb him! He was already awake when I came," Teddy said shuffling his feet and looking at his mother through his bangs.

"Perhaps, but that doesn't change the fact that you entered the room when I told you not to. Go and do your homework, we'll talk later." She dismissed him only frowning a little and Teddy rushed away. "And no running in the house!" Harry called after him loudly, before turning her complete attention to her patient, "As for you, I'd appreciated if you didn't try to corrupt my son."

Loki smirked unapologetically, then he turned serious, "Why can't I move?" suspicion evident in his tone.

"Because you're being currently held together by will-power and spell-tape." Harry answered calmly, already mixing medicines on the desk.

"What exactly does that mean?" Loki frowned. Sure he felt raw and aching, but what she said sounded much more ominous.

"Perhaps it would be better to show you," Harry said and then she took her wand and waved it above him in a complicated pattern, muttering something softly.

Loki tensed when a strange greenish light covered his entire frame, even if strangely he didn't feel threatened by it, and then a few moments later the light disappeared and a smaller reflection of himself stared back. The reflection was transparent, floating gently above the bed, and inside it there were lines in deep red and dark patches.

"What's this?" he asked, curiosity lacing his tone. He could guess what the red lines were, one particularly long one crossed his entire torso, but the black spots had him worried.

"A spell showing you, your wounds, without actually having to move you." Harry explained, with a faraway look in her eyes. "Here is a wound to the shoulder and some torn ligaments," she said tracing some of the red lines, "but the real problem is this, where someone tried to gut you like a fish," she tapped her wand on the one crossing his belly.

"I don't understand. A wound like that should have closed in a day, and I've been asleep for more than that," Loki wondered aloud. Harry looked surprised, but hid it quickly, "perhaps from a normal blade you would have. But this was made with a cursed dagger, spelled not to close until you've bled to death."

Loki's eyes turned flinty, while Harry continued with her explanation, "You're lucky he was quite skilled and didn't touch any of the internal organs. Otherwise there would have been nothing that I could do."

"Lucky," Loki answered, voice cold. "And the dark spots all over?"

"Poison, most likely from a magical snake species." Harry watched him speculatively, then she added the conclusion both of them had reached, "someone out there really wants you dead."

"Indeed," said Loki and then he remained silent and drank all the potions she gave him without protest, too busy thinking. His considerate jailer notwithstanding, the situation was worse than he'd imagined.

**TBC.**


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: **I am trying to find an equilibrium between posting the first thing that I've written, with minor edits, and the endless revising that has been my MO so far. That's why there have been more than two days between posts. I'm not sure about this chapter, I think it's good, but most likely it could have been better - you'll be the judge of that.

Anyhow, **THANK YOU! **to all of you who reviewed, favorited and followed this story. You **ROCK!**

**Rating: T;**

**Pairing: Loki/Harry - It's complicated;**

**Beta: **Un-betaed. Sorry guys for all the remaining mistakes.

**Warnings: mention of blood, violence, swearing, fem!Harry.**

**Disclaimer: **All recognizable characters are property of their respective owners. Everything else is the product of my imagination. Enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter 3**

Folding laundry was the type of mindless task Harry didn't mind doing by hand. Sure, one swish and flick of her wand would have had the clothes neatly folded and floating to their respective places, but there was something in the smell of detergent and fresh air clinging to the fabrics that was immensely soothing.

Or it used to be, before she let her thoughts roam. Without fail, they concentrated on her patient and all the changes his prolonged stay in her house was already causing. For one, Teddy was being livelier he'd been in months, and after the third time she'd caught him in Loki's room showing the injured man one thing or another, she'd just subtly adjusted the wards and let him be with only a stern lecture.

But she wasn't that much better, Harry reckoned. She'd been careless in using her magic so freely in front of him, but after eleven months spend in a world where most people were non-magical, it had been good to let it free in front of someone and not to worry about shocking them.

It was only afterward that the doubts had started to pile up. Not that she regretted saving his life the day when he had appeared. She was a healer, both by training and personal choice, and letting someone injured to die had never been an option. But - and there laid the problem - she had also known he wasn't a normal man the moment she had started treating him and her healing spells had encountered magic that had responded back, albeit of a different kind than of her own.

And now, days later Harry wondered if she should have reported the incident to her own watchers, the moment Loki had been stabilized.

Almost against her will, her gaze settled on a small wooden box she had on a counter table to her right. There, shielded by magic, was a little phone with only one number in its memory. That phone had been given to her by SHIELD, to be used only if they should ever be in need of her particular set of skills or with the express instruction to report everything out of the ordinary. An injured magic-user appearing in her backyard definitely qualified, yet she was hesitant to speak.

"What to do?" she whispered, hands gripping the box so tightly her knuckles were losing color. On one hand, the protocol they had drummed into her head was clear, call if something happened, or else. But her own muddled emotions were far from that. Loki was secretive and mistrustful and sometimes she caught him looking at her almost speculatively, but he was also under her care.

_Merlin, she was pathetic,_ Harry thought with not a small amount of self derision. She knew next to nothing about him - he was talkative to Teddy but always clammed up when she was in the room - yet she had allowed him access to her home and family just because he was magic, his presence a balm on her solitude, a medicine she hadn't known she'd needed.

_Hadn__'t she learned that magical didn't actually mean better?_ _That those possessing it could be cruel and deceitful?_ Even more, in fact, than those that didn't have it, if she thought of the world she had left behind.

They had been so naïve, thinking that with Voldemort's death, all their problems would be solved. Except that the Dark Lord hadn't actually said anything new when sprouting his supremacy non-sense. He had just given voice to all the disquiet and the bigotry that the Wizarding World had brewed in their self-imposed isolation, and when he fell, another was quick to take the mantle. Only that this time they had been clever about it. Not with force and mayhem, but with politics and honeyed words, until even those that had fought against Voldemort had been partially won over. And when they had finally opened their eyes to the deceit, it had been too late, an entire society going to war against the world and against itself. They imploded, leaving behind death and magic reeling out of control, and this time there had been no prophesied hero to carry on the fight and get them out of the hole they have dug themselves. Harriet Potter, The Savior, even she had been too small in the maelstrom of things, until the only thing she had left had been a son, a few possessions and a favor owned by the one being that could give her a way out. And in that moment, for the first and last time on that universe, Harry had called on Death as its Mistress, and Death had answered the call, giving her the direction she needed to go to a world where no one knew knew Harry Potter and where Teddy would at least have a chance to grow and make his own choices, all because a recent tear in the fabric of space and time had weakened the barriers between the dimensions.

And when the ritual was done, the spells spoken and Harry had wrung out every ounce of power from her exhausted body, the doorway had opened and the image of a park had stood before them. With nothing to lose, they had crossed the threshold, and then collapsed on the ground the moment they arrived, never standing a chance against the black dressed agents that quickly appeared on the scene.

Three weeks of interrogations later and the consuming fear of not being able to see her son again, magic so weak she could barely lift a feather, Harry had been set free, under close surveillance.

Her hands moved almost on their own, opening the box and curling around the phone, while she still remembered. She loathed that little piece of technology. Not because of what it was, but because of what it stood for. As she had placed it in the wooden box, she had also buried next to it the memories she knew would haunt her for a long time. Of a family long lost, missed chances and goodbyes never uttered.

And now, as her fingers hovered over the call button, the phone could stand for betraying her word as well, for she had promised to let him go the moment he was on his feet, but SHIELD would never allow it until they knew for certain he was not a threat.

From the other room peals of laughter broke through her thoughts and Harry almost dropped the phone, the plastic casing sounding a 'bang' where it connected with the box. Quickly, before she changed her mind, she put it inside and shut the container close, while at the same time shoving away her doubts as well.

Perhaps she was wrong in not contacting SHIELD, Harry thought while walking to the room where her patient should have been resting and not get caught in whatever game her son had made. She couldn't help but feel that the time for that decision was long past, and change was inevitably coming her way. And change, Harry had learned, always messed things up.

xXx

Harry could hear them talking, before she entered the room discussing moves for something that sounded a lot like Chess, but with rules she had never heard before, while several other high pitched voices shouted suggestions and complaints. Curious she leaned on the doorway, the mystery of the extra voices revealing itself to be the Teddy's Chess Set, a birthday present from his Uncle Ron - and didn't that memory almost cut her at her knees. The pieces, worn and chipped in some places,knew Teddy, and grudgingly did what he asked, but they didn't know Loki, so his every move was met with jeering and grumbling.

Harry snickered when the man took one particularly belligerent Rock and placed it on a vulnerable position on the table, only to have it smashed to pieces by Teddy's gleeful Pawn. As far as Harry could see, both were playing without a strategy, only going for the moves with most destructive impact. But at least they both had fun, Teddy laughing outright, while Loki was sporting a genuine smile for once.

_Strange_, thought Harry watching them both. Seeing Loki smile took years away from his usually guarded face, almost as if he was finally revealing his true nature. Harry tilted her head, and then cleared her throat to announce her presence. "Alright boys, that's enough for today. One of you needs to finish his homework, while the other needs his medicine,"

Twin disgruntled stares were thrown her way, which she ignored with practiced ease. Grumbling a little, Teddy gathered all the scattered pieces and then left the room, while Loki eased back on his pillow. She had allowed him extra movement, now that the wound was finally closing, but she still insisted that he didn't strain himself too much. His earlier merriment had gone away, his face smoothed into a more neutral mask. He was still suspicious of her, she could tell in the way he asked questions and always hesitated for a second to drink what Harry handed him, despite her failing to poison him so far, but since she had allowed him partial mobility he had been less inclined to question her every move.

Thinking about how well he and her seven-year-old son where getting along, she asked "Do you have children?", while carefully mixing his latest batch of potion. When no answer was forthcoming she turned, surprised at how chilly the air was suddenly, as if all the previous warmth had been sucked right out of it.

"Why do you ask?" he inquired, voice devoid of inflection.

Harry arched an eyebrow, then shrugged, "You're good with Teddy." She explained while handing him the latest vial.

"Quite," Loki answered, but refused to elaborate further. Harry didn't press it, and then left early, forgoing her usual chatting. Some things, she knew It quite well, were sometimes better left alone.

xXx

That night as she was tugging Teddy into his bed, he grabbed her hand but said nothing for a moment, just biting his lips. "Mama, stay with me for a bit?" he eventually asked voice wavering a little.

Smiling despite the lump threatening to choke her, Harry said, ""Move over a bit," and then placed herself on the side of the bed. Teddy immediately followed, his small hands gripping her shirt as he laid his head on her chest. They stood silent for a little bit, Harry leisurely stroking his hair, while Teddy was slowly relaxing to the sound of her heart, when the boy moved a little. ""I miss them", he mumbled against her.

"I know, baby. I miss them too," Harry kissed the top of his head, then resumed her caressing. Lost in bittersweet memories, she stood by his side long after Teddy finally fell asleep.

**TBC.**


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: **I'm constantly surprised at the amount of people who respond to the things that I write in the AN. Maybe because I'm keeping them short? I know I'm always annoyed when I see an update for a story that is half author's note and the other half the actual chapter. Also for those of you who complained that the chapters are a bit too short, well I've been steadily increasing the number of words. Enjoy it while it lasts! :)

As per usual, **THANK YOU! **to all of you who reviewed, favorited and followed this story. You are the **BEST!**

**Rating: T - Should I change it?;**

**Pairing: Loki/Harry - It's complicated;**

**Beta: **Un-betaed. Sorry guys for all the remaining mistakes.

**Warnings: mention of blood, violence, swearing, fem!Harry. Also some 'f' bombs closer to the end of the chapter because Tony has a mouth on him. You have been warned.**

**Disclaimer: **All recognizable characters are property of their respective owners. Everything else is the product of my imagination. Enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter 4**

With freedom in his immediate reach Loki was hard pressed to stay still while Harry moved around throwing several spells at him. He tensed every time her magic tickled his skin and made his scar itch; a pale pink line that marred his chest and reminded him of how closed he'd been to actual death. He didn't like looking at it, but he caught himself absentmindedly tracing it whenever he thought of how he acquired it.

Another scan, another tickle, and Loki turned his full attention to his…healer. With every relaxing of her rules and his subsequent expanding freedom - he had been gradually allowed to move, first just around the bed, then whole room and eventually in some parts of the house - his initial distrust had gone down, while his curiosity had been picked. From seeing her as his jailer, then as his healer, and then maybe something else which he tried not to think of at the moment, she had earned a tenuous position on the short list of people he didn't mind knowing, and he had even caught himself smiling genuinely in her presence. But now, all he wanted was for her to let him go.

At the moment, Harry was frowning, the swish and flick of her wand making symbols dance and change color in the air between them, but as far as Loki could tell she wasn't really worried.

"Can I go now?" Loki asked, still voice in stark contrast with his almost palpable restlessness. Despite her having told him that this was to be the final check-in, a small part of him couldn't help but be on guard. Waiting for the other shoe to drop, metaphorically speaking.

"Magic still a little on the low side", Harry answered, her focus mainly on the symbols the spells painted in front of her. "But other than that you're good to go. Just do me a favor, will you?" she said smiling crookedly, while Loki just froze, "A favor?" he asked, a strange note to his tone.

"Don't go running into any pointed objects and we're golden." Harry answered and with a swipe of her hand the spell she had been weaving disappeared, leaving her and her former patient alone into the sunny living room.

"Don't you have anything else you would ask of me?" he insistent even though old instincts told him to leave as soon as possible and leave her none the wiser.

Harry let out an amused huff, eyes smiling while she was watching him, "Why do you look like no one has ever been kind to you before? I told you, I require nothing but a promise that you'll take care of yourself." She teased, almost reaching out to smooth down the collar of the jacket she had lent him, before she realized what she was doing and stopped, hand hovering in the air before she pulled it back. Loki let her, watched her for a long moment with an unreadable expression and then turned around and went to the door.

"But if you ever found yourself in the neighborhood, you can stop for tea," she called after him and then bit her lip when she realized just how than must have sounded. Loki stopped for a brief moment, and then he opened the door and left without turning back once.

Harry let out a long breath and then closed her eyes for a few seconds, composing herself. "What did you expect?" she whispered in the empty hallway. Predictably, the hallway gave her no answer.

xXx

A week passed with no sign from Loki and Harry stopped glancing outside the window every time she thought someone was coming to the door. Even Teddy was more subdued and clingy, insisting she tugged him every night and sometimes grabbing her wrist and not letting go until he was asleep. She didn't begrudge him, proud he was mature enough not to ask countless questions she didn't have an answer for, yet she hated it too, because no seven-year-old should accept without a fuss the fact that sometimes people left and didn't come back.

Another week gone and life went back to normal, as if her house had never housed a stranger for ten days, all the reminders of his stay completely gone, when the phone she had never wanted in her house started to ring.

She picked it up by the third ring even though a big part of her had wanted to let it go on forever, and when she connected she didn't even had the time to say hello when on the other side Agent Coulson said, "We have a situation. We need you to come in."

Despite the dread pooling in her stomach and a million thought chasing each other in her mind, her voice was steady when she asked, "When and where? Also my son…"

"Will be taken care of," the agent said, not letting her finish. "A car is waiting for you outside." And with a click the conversation was over, leaving Harry standing still in the living room for a few seconds, and then she started to move. Summoning her work bag and a coat, she started to dress just as she exited the house and as promised a black nondescript car was already parked at the front gate.

Fifteen minutes later, a change of cars and a helicopter ride, Harry was on what appeared to be a floating ship in the sky, someone had called it the Helicarier, when she heard her name called from her right.

"Miss Potter, thank you for coming," Agent Coulson said, mild voice betraying nothing. Then again, the man would probably face down a whole battalion of Death Eaters armed with only a small frown and a taser. Harry respected him, perhaps even liked him, when he wasn't calling to disrupt her life.

"You called," she shrugged and fell in step with him, as Coulson maneuvered them between army planes and busy personnel."So what exactly happened, that you had to have me here at such a short notice?"

Agent Coulson waited until they were inside the ship, the closed door cutting the extra noise when he continued with his explanations, "Forty minutes ago Iron Man was brought in after being attacked with an energy blast by unidentified assailants. His right arm is being taken over by what appears to be an aggressive and invasive rot and the resident doctors have no idea how to stop it."

"So you're thinking magic. Alright, let's see what this is about" Harry said just as they were cutting the corner and the doors to Medical came into view.

Right on cue, the sound of something big and metallic crashing amidst several loud voices welcomed them when they stepped inside.

"Get off me, you crazy fucking bastard," man wrapped into a very battered gold and red armor was yelling his head off to Doctor Stevens, SHIELD'S head of Medical Department, while pointing what looked like some kind of weapon to the doctor. For his part the doctor looked ready to pull his hair out.

"Gentlemen, what's going on here?" Coulson asked, entering the room, Harry close on his heels.

"He's refusing treatment!" Stevens exclaimed, looking frustrated enough to squeeze the life out of his patient.

"I'm not!" Tony Stark shot out almost immediately. "You're trying to cut off my fucking arm! Just keep your incompetent hands off me. JARVIS!" he called and when no answer was forthcoming he swore with great relish.

"Agent Coulson, if I may," Harry said already moving closer to the wounded man. Pale and sweaty, it seemed that only fury and fear were keeping him still conscious, while his right arm dangled like dead weight. Her eyes zeroed in the arm, noticing the ugly greenish and purple rot enveloping it, and then she started barking orders. "Everyone clear the area, and take the fancy equipment with you. I will be taking care of this."

For a second the medical staff just stood there gaping at her. "Do as she says," Coulson intervened when no one moved while Stevens looked like he wanted to protest some more. "Move it," the agent stressed the words and two nurses came to help Harry as she was already unplugging all the machines connected to Tony Stark.

"Who the hell are you?" He asked, keeping unconsciousness at bay by pure stubbornness. The arm must have hurt him a great lot - he was taking in shallow breaths between words - but he never took his eyes of her, "and why are you unplugging the equipment?"

"Because magic makes it go on a frizz. And I'd rather not have it explode around me while I'm saving your arm" Harry said, moving quickly. "Now sit still and think happy thoughts" she said while tapping Tony's forehead lightly with her wand just as he was opening his mouth to ask more questions. The man was out as a light, and seeing that the surrounding area was clear thanks to Agent Coulson and his men having herded everyone out of the room, Harry immediately set to work.

She shot an identification spell at the sickly mess that was the man's right arm, and as she watched flare in response she couldn't help but purse her lips as the symbols appearing above it told her everything she wanted to know. A transfiguration spell, combined with a flesh eating curse, probably someone's sick idea of a clever attack.

_Alright then, she had a spell to fry_, she thought just as she prepared to cast her next spell, rapidly considering and discarding options as she planned her every move. Not wasting any more time, she dove into it, the surroundings ceasing to have any meaning as her entire focus settled on the her current enemy.

And the spell fought her back with everything it got. It acted a lot like a vicious beast that had finally gotten its claws onto some hapless prey and almost everything she threw at it only managed slow it down for a bit. It was strong, so very strong, and had Harry been anyone else, someone with less power or less experience with the dark arts and their consequences, she might have lost the battle, but she kept going, a game of cat and mouse until she got hold of it weakness. And when she did, the whole thing unraveled like a string of badly woven yarn. And just as she was getting out of the trance she always went under while fighting a challenging spell, she realized two very important things. First, while the spell had been impressively strong, it had also been sloppy, as if its caster had recently come into their powers and decided to forgo solid work and fine details because they figured sheer amount of power would do the trick. And secondly, she had also recognized the signature behind it, the special feel of the magic it created it, because it was the same magic she had spent almost a week scanning it daily.

Just as she was coming down from her high, the doors to Medical burst open and a strong presence, somewhat familiar although she could have sworn she had never met the man before, entered the room and bee-lined for the exhausted Tony Stark, who was slowly coming back to consciousness.

"Was it Loki?" Thor, God of Thunder asked, anguish plain in his face and voice, "Was it my brother?"

And luckily his entry had created such a commotion that nobody saw Harry visibly jerk at his words and almost drops her wand.

**TBC.**

* * *

**AN: BWAHAHAHAHA! "cough, splutter" - Yep that was my evil laugh. Now let the speculations begin, did he or didn't he do it? You know who I'm talking about. "smirk"**


	5. Chapter 5

**AN:** This story was supposed to have 23 chapters and an outline. You know, one of those neat little things that shows how the action progresses and how each character must behave at a certain point. Except that Harry and Loki have started running circles around it, and I don't know if I should struggle them back, or just go along for the ride. Here's to semi-uncharted territory - Cheers!

Forgive me the lateness of this chapter. In my defense fever, chills, sneezing and coughing, do not a productive author make. D= Also if it's crappy, I'm not entirely to blame...

And because this chapter was getting ridiculously long I've cut it in two, so that means the next one is mostly done and will be uploaded as soon as possible. :}

**THANK YOU! **to all of you who reviewed, favorited and followed this story. You are the **BEE's KNEE**!

**Rating: T;**

**Pairing: Loki/Harry - It's complicated;**

**Beta: **Un-betaed. Sorry guys for all the remaining mistakes.

**Warnings: mention of blood, violence, swearing, fem!Harry, torture and Loki getting in touch with his more sadistic side. And while some of you mentioned you liked him and didn't want him to be bad, I have to mention that I see him as morally ambiguous. He does what he wants, and not always what's nice. You have been warned.**

**Disclaimer: **All recognizable characters are property of their respective owners. Everything else is the product of my imagination. Enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter 5**

"Unless Loki goes around as a busty blond babe, I don't think he was the one to attack me," Tony Stark said while trying to find a better position in one of the uncomfortable chairs Fury insisted to have in the debriefing room. His right arm ached as if still pined with a thousand needles and he kept clenching and unclenching his fist.

"So you were too busy staring at her rack to dodge?" muttered Hawkeye loud enough to receive a few frowning looks from the people around him and a particularly dirty one from Iron Man. Before the exchange could escalate into childish name-calling, Steve Rogers redirected the conversation. "Thor, do you have any idea who that is?"

The asgardian frowned, deep in thought, "The only one who comes in mind is Amora the Enchantress. She was banished from Asgard for using mind-spells," he said shoulders slumped.

"Cheer up, big guy," said Iron Man with fake lightness, "you said it yourself. Loki's body was not in Svartal…whatever. Chances are he will be attacking us anytime from now."

"Tony!" Steve intervened, while the inventor shrugged unrepentant, and then the discussion degenerated into speculations.

For her part Harry had just stood quietly on the side, having already delivered her report, short and to the point, on the magical nature of spell that had incapacitated Iron Man. The Loki they were discussing sounded like a different man from the one she had come to know in the ten days she had cared for his health, and even if a small part of her hoped they were talking about two different persons, the odds were not in her favor.

Eventually she gathered her courage to whisper to the agent sitting next to her, "Who is this Loki everyone is talking about?", only to have the usually unflappable Agent Coulson visibly flinch and then look at her with surprise. A moment later he replied, his voice almost steady, "You came here only after we encountered him. Why do you ask?"

"If he's and dangerous as they make him to be, then chances are him and I will cross paths in the future. Especially if he keeps attacking SHIELD." Harry answered, trying to sound as truthful as possible. As she spoke she could feel the words _I must not tell lies _tingle painfully on the back of her hand. Harry cursed silently and tried not to wince.

_Who would have thought that for all the reasons to hate Umbridge, making her unable to tell outright lies would be the most aggravating one? _Then again, nobody had warned her that writing the same thing a thousand times, in blood, on a magical parchment and using a magical quill, until the phrase led to permanent scaring on the back of her hand would be similar to signing a magical contract.

Luckily for her, Coulson didn't seem to notice anything amiss, and after giving her words due consideration he had replied calmly, "I will see that the relevant information will be delivered to you."

Several hours later, after she had had the time to read all the files she had been given when she left Headquarters, Harry stood with her head on her hands, thoughts buzzing around her mind like angry bees. For once she wasn't sure what to believe, or how she could have been so mistaken in her first impression of the man, _no asgardian_.

_Had she known all this from the beginning would have she still aided him? _She asked herself, trying to put back some order into her conflicting emotion. And the answer '_Yes'_, when it came, gave her at least some measure of peace, even though it opened the door to more questions.

A lonely howl resonated into the house and Harry jumped, realizing that she had lost more time than wise with her doubts and that the full moon was already bright in the sky. Knowing she had more pressing matters to attend to, she tidied the files a bit and then exited the kitchen by side-door and took the stairs down to house' modified basement. There, she knew, Teddy had already shed his human skin and fallen to the curse he had inherited from his father. And if her experience held true he would be growling the moment he saw her, in wait for their monthly ritual of asserting dominance and then providing comfort one to another.

Her thoughts on Loki would have to take a step back, Harry decided, as she closed and warded the door behind her.

Too bad nobody had informed the asgardian on that.

xXx

_Earlier on Asgard…_

"Wake up," Loki commanded, voice cutting through the silence of the bedroom. The man it was addressed to, jolted awake as if prodded by a cattle rod and then started to tug ineffectually at the ropes binding him, ""What…where am I? You!" eyes as wide as saucers, he froze when he got glimpse of his captor, then started to move with more urgency.

"Me," said Loki mildly, coming closer from the shadows. "Don't bother. These are Skadi's bindings. I can attest to their strength," he smiled with all his teeth showing. The man on the bed moved some more, then stopped resigned. "What are you doing here?" he asked voice hitching on the last word.

"What, no warm welcome?" Loki said while tracing his finger over one of the leather ropes cutting into the flesh of the captive's arms. "Then again, I bet you really expected me to die this time."

The man snarled, head barely raised as his bindings kept him almost completely immobilized. "You should have never lived. You are blight on the Royal's Family's name. A mistake." He spoke through gritted teeth.

"And yet I'm still the prince, and you still just a captain of the guards." Loki said deceptively soft. "Balder, the sinning one, Asgard's other golden boy, so much like a young Odin, than the All-Father's own flesh and blood. Now look at you." Loki parted his arms as if presenting the bound asgardian to an unseen audience, "Murderer."

"You're still alive, aren't you?" Balder asked, bitterness lacing his every word. He had stopped struggling, the ropes cutting the feeling into his arms and legs and was now watching the other god with narrowed eyes.

Loki ignored the question as he primly seated himself on the side of the bed,"I'm not even going to ask why you did it. I'm sure that the All-Father must have at one point complained about the problem I've become, and you, like a good and obedient dog jumped to the chance to prove your loyalty."

As Loki spoke voice deceivingly mild, the glare the other man was throwing his way became more and more poisonous. "What I want to know is just one simple thing."

"I'm not telling you anything." Balder declared defiantly.

Loki glanced at his captive, smirk firmly in place and eyes as cold as ice. True he had miscalculated when he had returned from Svartalfheim under the guise of the guard send there by Odin and then reported to the All-Father. Maybe his glee at the king's pain when he had announced 'Loki's death', or maybe something else had given him away, because when he had left the Throne Room thinking he had fooled everyone, Balder and his loyal guards had ambushed him and taken him into a hidden chamber. Even then he hadn't been too concerned, sure Odin would keep him alive. Except that Balder had taken out the hood they had blinded him with and with a righteous air had said, "For Odin," and then he had thrust a dagger in Loki's gut and left him there to bleed to death. Had his will to live and magic not been strong enough, and had Hela been more eager to claim his soul, he would have never stumbled upon the only place where he had given another chance to live.

Thinking about his narrow escape from death broke the tight control he had on his rage and brought to light his more sadistic side.

"But you will, Balder. You will," Loki said and then as fast as lightening he summoned and jabbed a small wooden pike into the fleshy part of Balder's exposed arm. The asgardian swore, the pain giving him incentive to struggle, but the binds were unrelenting. Loki let Balder exhaust himself, then asked almost on a bored tone. "Now tell me little guard. Who made you the dagger you used to stab me?"

Hours later, Loki left the Royal Palace blending from one shadow to another, no one the wiser of his little visit, one name finally wrung out from the other's asgardian bloody lips. He had left his prisoner still alive, returning the same courtesy they had shown him. After all it wouldn't do to start Ragnarok ahead of the schedule.

But as he traveled from one world to another, looking for the Enchantress that somehow had grown from a reluctant ally to someone bold enough to try and kill him, and not finding her anywhere in the Nine Realms, Loki grew more and more frustrated.

He was wasting his time, he realized as another hiding place proved to be just a dead end, time he needed to regroup and thing of a plan of attack against the one that would see him dead.

Yet, nowhere in the Nine Realms he could think of a place where he felt safe enough to stop.

Unbidden, the image of a cozy little house came into his mind and his body started moving before he made the conscious decision. Maybe Midgard would provide him with the answer.

* * *

**TBC.**

**AN: **Alright kids, Wikipedia Time!

Balder (Baldur, Baldr) – Norse God, half-brother to Thor, invulnerable to anything except mistletoe. His death is one of the events that lead to Ragnarok. He gets shot with a mistletoe arrow by his blind brother Hod, who has been tricked by Loki into it. Also at one point, Hela (Goddess of Death, daughter of Loki and Ruler of the Underground) promises to release Balder into the living world if everyone cries for him. Everyone does, except for one giantess, Pokk (thought to be Loki in disguise), so the god remains in the land of the dead, from where he will come to rule the new earth after Ragnarok.

Skadi – Norse goddess, one of Odin's wives with whom she had many children. Her relationship with Loki is complicated. She came to the Aesir looking for revenge after her father's death, and was satisfied by several conditions, one of which was that someone makes her laugh. That someone turned out to be Loki. Also at the end of _Lokasenna_, after Loki insults all the gods and goddesses at a banquet he gets punished by getting bound with the cold innards of his son Nari, while Skadi places a venomous snake above his face. The venom that drips is collected by Loki's wife Sigyn in a basin, but when the basin gets full and she goes to empty it, the venom falls on Loki''s face causing him to writhe in pain, producing earthquakes.

Norse mythology – clean, simple fun, right?


	6. Chapter 6

**AN:** Here comes the second part of the last chapter. It was supposed to be up sooner, but my boss decided to dump a whole lot of work with a 'yesterday' deadline in my lap. And that's why I haven't replied to any of your amazing reviews. I will get back to them when my schedule clears up a bit.

And on that note, **I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE **my reviewers, for taking their time to leave me long notes, filled with speculations about what is going to happen in the next chapters. And while I'm the only one who knows how complicated the story will eventually get, reading how invested some of you have become, and actually recognizing the names of some of the regulars, makes me so giddy I can't sit still. So **THANK YOU! **

**Rating: T;**

**Pairing: Loki/Harry - It's complicated;**

**Beta: **Un-betaed. Sorry guys for all the remaining mistakes.

**Warnings: fem!Harry - it's the only warning you get because it's quite a peaceful chapter.**

**Disclaimer: **All recognizable characters are property of their respective owners. Everything else is the product of my imagination. Enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter 6**

Harry stood on the floor, Teddy snuggled in her lap. His paws sometimes twitched, and he whined in his dreams, while she absentmindedly played with one silky ear. Despite her earlier resolution to keep Loki out of her thoughts, her mind swam with all the information she had received just that day. And with those folders sitting on her living room after she had read them more than once, it was no surprise that her thoughts couldn't settle.

So it stood to reason that when she least wanted him to appear, Loki found a way back into her house.

"I was under the impression that when you invite someone back into your home, you don't try to keep them outside when they respond," Loki purred, while Harry straightened up from her slouched position near the wall. In her lap Teddy whimpered sensing her growing tension so she started petting him again, while never taking her eyes off her unexpected guest.

"If you're referring to the wards, they are not meant for you alone. I was trying to keep everyone out." She answered calmly.

"So it got nothing with those files I saw while making my way down here?" Loki asked, while moving closer and stopping only when it appeared that an invisible wall was separating him from the part of the room where Harry was standing. He frowned, green light already forming around his clenched fists when she stopped him in his tracks, "Please don't tear it down. It was tricky to put it up in the first place and I would rather not repeat the experience. As for those files," Harry sighed, looking to her lap, "I am a magic user on a place where the last magic user tried to take over a couple of months before I appeared. Did you really think that SHIELD won't have their eyes on me?"

Loki stood still for a moment, as if pondering her words and then he let the magic flare die as he slowly unclenched his fists. Giving her one measuring look he then retreated to a corner and copied her position as he settled down on the floor. For a long moment after, he began to assess the room - its small and high placed windows, the padded walls and floor, the invisible wall separating two thirds of it from the rest of the house.

Harry could see it on his face when it dawned to him what exactly was the room where she was currently sitting in. For a fraction of a moment his eyes had widen in surprise but immediately afterward he had closed his expression under a speculative mask. "What are you hiding in there?" he asked, something strange creeping in his tone.

Harry snorted, "Not what, but whom?" and then she straightened her legs making the pup sleeping in her lap completely visible.

Loki's response was a sharp intake of breath, "Is that Teddy?", he asked almost hesitantly.

"I am surprised you recognized him in this form."

"I knew he was a shapeshifter, but I didn't think he could change species as well," Loki answered, eyeing her and her son speculatively, ""is he even your son?"

The tentative atmosphere changed in an instant, as Harry glared at him, "I might not have given birth to him, but he's my son in everything that counts." She said, voice so cold she could have frozen boiling water.

_Magnificent_, Loki couldn't help but think as something long forgotten stirred inside him, seeing her in that moment more dangerous than the wild beast she was cradling in her lap.

"So what's your story?" he asked, keeping his voice neutral.

Still glaring at him, Harry didn't answer for a few moments, then she smirked which immediately made the air in the room breathable again. "It doesn't work like that," she informed him, "a question for a question. If you want to know more you'll have to answer some yourself.""

"Then ask," Loki said, making a show of sitting more comfortably on the floor, while he rested his arms on his bended knees.

Harry, for her part, pretended to ponder for a moment, then she went for one of the things she was more puzzled about, "Tell me this, why would you attack Earth when you clearly had no intention in actually conquering it?"

Loki stilled, caught on the wrong foot. "Why would you say that?" his voice flat. It wasn't as much as what he said but how he did it, and Harry knew immediately she'd found a touchy subject.

"Several things that don't add up." Harry said, pretending to be fully immersed in petting her sleeping son, while watching Loki with the corner of her eye. "Now, I don't consider myself a master strategist, but the whole thing, while flashy and destructive enough, was laughably inefficient given your declared purpose. And I'm not the only one to think so. There are some excellent questions that Tony Stark, I think, put in the report he submitted of the whole incident," she added.

"Such as?" Loki asked, eyebrow cocked upwards. His smile was mocking as if he was only amusing her own wild notions, but there was a jagged edge to it that told her he was rattled about what she was asking.

"Well, you clearly know how to use the Tesseract. So what was the point of activating it for 24 hours before you actually came, except for alerting SHIELD in clearing the facility. Not to mention that a scientist controlled by you thought of a way to disable the portal, or that the only thing needed stop the invasion was your scepter, which you conveniently lost during the battle, right next to the device. So you're either the worst general in history, or there so many more layers to the whole attack on Earth than most people see."

"And how come you can see them?"

"Maybe because I'm an outsider? Who knows?" Harry shrugged.

"You people see only what I want you to see." Loki answered waving a hand dismissively.

"Really now."

But Loki refused to say more on the matter. "I believe that now it's my turn."

"You do realize that you haven't told me anything definite."

"What's the story of your son?" Loki continued regardless of the dirty look Harry was throwing him.

"It's not as much a voluntary shape-shifting as it is a curse. He inherited from his father who was bitten by a werewolf, ironically name Fenrir. Ring a bell?"

"My son didn't bit humans," Loki spoke clearly, eyes narrowing at her.

"So at least some of the legends regarding you are real, good to know," she said, then she continued with the explanation, "but no, that particular Fenrir was human and not of this dimension."

"How did he become your son?"

"I am his godmother. When his parents died fighting to free my world I took him the moment his only other living relative was too ill to care for him. Nobody knew that in a couple of years that same world would try to kill him, or treat him as if he was sub-human,"

"Is that why you left?"

"Part of it, but if you want to know more, I'm going to need some straight answers from you, and not all that wiggling you've done so far.""

"Ask, but I don't promise to answer."

"Do you regret the attack on Earth? All the destruction and the lives lost?"

"Do you wish to see if I can feel remorse? Why should I care? Your human lives are nothing but mere candlelight compared to my lifespan."

Harry was silent for a long moment, pondering her next question.

"Have I shocked you?" Loki asked, smiling without mirth. He looked more broken than when he had first appeared on her life, and at that time he had been on death's doorstep.

"Shocked? Not really," she answered after a fashion. "I suspected as much after I finally read your file." Which actually made her own decision to let him into her house all the more questionable. What exactly had she been thinking, even Harry could answer it completely.

"But one more. If Teddy and I had been in New York at the time of the invasion, what you have done?"

"Nothing," Loki said sincerely, lifting one shoulder lightly. "I didn't know you then."

And that Harry could tell, in Loki's case made all the difference.

They didn't talk for the rest of the night and sometimes early in the morning she must have gone asleep, because when she had woken up, sunlight was streaming in the room but Loki was nowhere to be seen. In her lap Teddy was still sleeping, having transformed back into human form sometimes after the moon had dawned.

Moving lightly, so she didn't disturb him, she summoned a blanket to cover him and then she stumbled up the stairs into the kitchen. There she practically zoned on the bubbles the old pot made while she made coffee, only to be jolted when somebody rang her doorbell repeatedly.

"I'm coming," she mumbled, almost stubbing her toe while searching for the keys to the front door.

"What in Merlin's name?" she asked, dumbfounded, just as she opened the door to the biggest flower bouquet she'd seen in her whole life. It literally covered the delivery guy who had been ringing the doorbell.

**TBC.**

* * *

**AN: No Harry is not an animagus in this, nor is she a werewolf, yet she can impose her will on a juvenile werewolf. How? Let the speculations begin! **

_**Para :}**_


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: **I am sorry for being MIA for so long and also for the shortness of this chapter - it lost 655 words in the reviewing process. I really did hoped I would manage to update sooner, but real life being what it is here are my excuses:

1. Winter holiday that didn't go according to plans (pneumonia - not mine, but close; skiing trip with too much melting snow, dirt and grass, and visiting relatives who stayed for far longer than I'd wanted);

2. 30+ projects to grade before school started;

3. SHERLOCK - And if you don't get this one you've been missing out on one of the greatest BBC shows ever made. It kind of consumed my mind...:)

Ok, enough excuses, now lets go to the praises. You guys are **AWESOME** and **I LOVE YOU! **Your reviews for the last two chapters were the fire keeping me from getting back to my old bad habits of self-doubt and too much second-guessing. And also because of you, this story is going to be so much more twisted than I've initially planned it. Honestly, after the last chapter I should also publish my notes and let you be the judge. :D

**Rating: T;**

**Pairing: Loki/Harry - It's complicated;**

**Beta: **Un-betaed. Sorry guys for all the remaining mistakes.

**Warnings: fem!Harry, Tony Stark - because his very presence should come with a warning. :)**

**Disclaimer: **All recognizable characters are property of their respective owners. Everything else is the product of my imagination. Enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter 7**

"Sir, Miss Potter is here to see you," Jarvis's voice cut through the noise of the lab, making Tony blink and then turn off the holographic designs he was working on.

"Finally," Tony smiled in response and after taking something from his worktable he hurried to the elevator.

"Should I cancel the order for a dozen of giant plastic flamingos?" Jarvis inquired innocently.

"Too obnoxious?" Tony pretended to think about it, barely suppressing a chuckle.

"Just a tad, Sir."

"Put in on hold. She might still need some persuasion for what I'm going to propose," Tony said, then mentally prepared himself for the conversation he was about to enter, just as the elevator opened soundlessly.

Harriet Potter had been a surprisingly difficult woman to persuade so far. Even now, sitting ramrod straight on one of the chairs placed around the room, waiting for him, she looked as approachable as hedgehog. Too bad he had a soft spot for those little critters.

"A drink, Miss Potter?" he asked, grin firmly in place, going straight to the bar. This was the second time he played host to a magic user in that very room, Tony remembered, and the first time he got thrown out of the window. Hopefully the next argument would go differently, but just in case he checked to see if he still had his bracelets.

"Mr. Stark."

"Tony, please. Mr. Stark makes me think you're talking to my father," he interrupted her, while deftly pouring expensive scotch in two glasses.

Harry narrowed her eyes, "Mr. Stark. The flowers were an acceptable but unnecessary 'thank you' gesture, but what were you trying to achieve with all the other things you send me?", she asked referring to the delivery that started with an extremely large flower bouquet, followed by ten pounds of expensive liquor chocolate, a petting zoo and finished just that morning with a twelve foot tall teddy bear that looked more creepy than cuddly.

She made no move to take the glass from him and with a sigh, he placed it on a table near her. "When you didn't answer to any of the messages I've sent you, I had to find something to make you come to me."

"And inane gifts were your answer?" Harry asked, getting ready to leave.

"They got you here, didn't they?" Tony smoothly placed himself between Harry and the elevator door. Pretending not to notice her narrowed eyes and pursed lips he continued rapidly, ""And since you're here, would it be such a bother to listen to me?"

Harry tensed, but made no move forward. Tony counted that as a victory which bolstered him to continue, "I want you to work for me as a magic consultant."

"Mr. Stark," Harry sneered, "Everything I was willing to give on the subject of magic, SHIELD already has on file. I suggest contacting them for further information.""

"Yes, but what SHIELD has, is merely scratching the surface." Tony needled.

"I won't help you build more weapons." She enunciated each word with distaste.

"Why do you assume I want to work on a weapon? Don't you know I'm done with that?" Tony said, raising his hands as if to prove his harmlessness.

"And the Iron Man suit?"

"Technically that's a piece of advanced prosthetic." Tony said hiding his smile with a sip from his glass. Harry huffed and tried to go round him clearly done with the conversation, only to stop when he leaned forward and grabbed her by the wrist. She glared at him, but remained motionless until he let go and then took a step backwards while watching him through narrowed eyes. Again positioned between her and the door, Tony dropped the smile,"What if I tell you that us working together could improve the lives of everyone?"

That caught her attention, "How so?"

"Catch!" Tony said instead of explaining, taking an object out of his pocket and throwing it gently at her.

She did it without looking, and then she did a double take at it when she realized she was holding a sleek transparent cell phone and almost dropped it to the floor. Then Harry quickly tried to give it back while Tony sidestepped her.

"No, don't. It's safe for you to use it, I promise you. It's a modified Stark phone, Avenger edition, Thor tested and approved. And if anything can function around your magic is that little guy."

"How?" she asked dubiously studying the device. Tony thought he should be insulted at her disbelief.

"I took the liberty of improving the schematics SHIELD used for that brick they gave you. Appalling design. And when I say improve, I mean I build it from scratch. No, keep it! It's yours," he said when she tried to give it back one more time.

"A bribe?" Harry asked, her face a blank mask. It had been quite surprising to see how fast she had switched from showing her frustration to going all business like. Even Tony, master of misdirection was a little bit impressed.

"Not, not a bribe," he said trying to put as much honesty in his tone. "But I do want in return is to have more than a fighting chance the next time a magical lunatic comes around and threatens my city. And for that I need you working for me. Some sort of magical consultant."

"And what's in this for me?" Harry said, while sitting back on the chair she had used when he first came in the room, all traces of her previous nervousness, now completely gone.

Tony grinned, feeling he was back on familiar territory - charming a potential business partner. "Your world was based on magic, correct?" he said then he waited for her to nod before he continued. "But here, here technology is queen. And in no small part because of me, technology is evolving at an unprecedented pace. So that means that in a couple of years a house with no electricity, cable or Internet access, not to mention someone who doesn't have a cell phone is really going to stand out."

"I can manage," Harry said, head tilted to the side. She still hadn't touched her drink, and she had put the phone he'd given her next to the glass on the table. She was giving him her full attention.

"But the thing is, you shouldn't have to. And what about your son? Or any children he might have?" Immediately after he brought the subject up, Tony feared he had made a miscalculation, as all traces of interest fled from Harry's suddenly tense frame.

When she spoke, the subtle threat hiding beneath her words made the hair on his arms stand at an end. "And how do I know you're not going to use what I teach you against me some day?"

"You don't, and there's nothing I can promise you that will completely convince you," he admitted, having realized that honesty was the best policy in this negotiation. "But I tell you what, unless you start to threaten everything I hold dear, that knowledge will be treated as a Stark patent. And believe me, I'm very possessive of my toys." Tony grinned, somewhat vicious, which got him an amused twitch of her lips in return.

"Speaking of possessions, SHIELD might have something to say about you propositioning me, Mr. Stark." Harry said getting up and ready to leave, this time without the urgency.

"I'll handle SHIELD. Do we have a deal?" Tony asked, going to the bar for a second drink.

"I'll think about it. And Mr. Stark, no more gifts." Harry said just as the elevator door closed soundlessly in front of her.

For his part, Tony let out a long exhale, feeling the tension leaving him. "That went well," he said pouring himself another glass.

"Sir, SHIELD has requested your assistance for a breaking in at Lumina Pharmaceuticals. Captain America is asking for backup." Jarvis's voice cut through his contentment.

"Since when does the good Captain can't handle a couple of thugs?" Tony grumbled leaving his drink and hurrying to his loading platform, robotic arms already moving in an intricate dance which assembled his amour around him.

"Since the robbers appear to be Hydra affiliated," replied JARVIS smoothly just as Tony took flight.

**TBC.**

* * *

**Was I the only one who found that giant rabbit thing Tony Stark gave to Pepper as a 'forgive me' gift creepy as hell? Or the strawberries he bought to which Pepper is allergic. Clearly Tony has a history of insightful and appropriate gifts. ;) **


End file.
